Am I a Socialist?

Two notes before I start this post. Given the title of my blog I expect two comments; one from Bob telling me that he thinks socialists are stupid and he can't believe I would even say something like this and another one from leeroy saying he couldn't believe I would blog about something like this because I will get marked by the government and they might start spying on me. :)

I don't really think I'm a socialist (see the definition here) but I agree with some of its principles. After doing a little reading I think I lean more towards market socialism since it applies some principles from capitalism. I do believe in private property, and different wages for different kinds of work (meaning the garbage collector shouldn't make as much as a surgeon), but I believe our current economy is pulling society as a whole down. The economic gap between the rich and the poor is steadily widening and there are no signs that it will stop. I think individuals have an obligation, and an interest, to see that the economic well being of our society as a whole (including and especially those at the bottom of the economic pile) improves. When we act with the best interests of our society at heart, we will benefit. That is why I believe it is right that the richer you are, the more your societal obligations should increase (i.e. taxes). I don't mean that the rich should have to give up their Mercedes or BMWs and be content to ride around in Hondas and Toyotas (or even a Chevy). It is important to retain incentives and rewards for working hard (such as salaries). And we should view taxes not as a burden but as an investment in society so that as society improves so does our quality of living (I believe that if you invest in education for everyone our social "ills" will decline, such as teenage pregnancy, crime, and drug use which is better for us all).

I am also starting to wonder if the stock market is really a good thing. I know it has been a good investment vehicle for many Americans (and foreigners) but is it really good for our workforce? CEOs look to the stock price to guide their decisions because the board members look to the stock price in judging the CEOs performance. Many executives have their pay tied to stock performance so they have an even greater personal incentive to do whatever it takes to drive the stock price up. I know boards are starting to tie executive compensation to the long term performance of the stock but I don't believe it's enough. Take outsourcing. At my company we moved some manufacturing operations overseas to take advantage of a huge tax break that country was giving us. It increased our profits on those parts but it put many people out of work here locally. I believe most were able to find work again but it wasn't work that paid the same, or required the same skill, as my company. Now these employees have less income with which to buy products that support our economy (including products made by my company). With outsourcing it seems like you are increasing profits for the company, but decreasing the buying power of those employees who were employed domestically. I know there are arguments that outsourcing is absorbed by our economy and it is better for our national economy but I am not convinced (I would like to understand these arguments better so if you have a link to an article online put it in a comment so I can check it out). This is why I'd like to try working for a privately owned company and see how operations are different, if they are, when management is not pressured by the stock market and Wall Street and the profits stay with the company.

I think this is one of my longest posts, a record! Seriously this is an area I would like to understand better - I know enough to have an opinion but not enough to debate the merits of one economic system vs another. Comments? Thoughts?

It's always SUNNY

When Friends and Seinfeld ended I never thought I'd see a good television sitcom again. Thank goodness I was wrong. NBC has given me The Office and CBS has given me How I Met Your Mother (aka HIMYM). Now FX presents It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Actually I think the show got its start on Fox but didn't do so well there. FX picked it up and I hope it stays on the air. The show is in its second season and it is HILARIOUS. The show is about 4 friends and their bar (Danny Devito is also on the show but I think he's there just to give a little star power to the cast - he doesn't have a main role). Two characters, Dennis & Sweet D, are part owners of the bar (and also siblings), and the other two characters, Charlie & Mac, are their friends who also work at the bar. The show is almost always about some taboo or inappropriate topic and, since the show is on cable after 10, they use adult language. About the only thing they won't say is the f-bomb. It's hard to describe the show, or even some of its funny parts so I encourage you to watch one episode and judge for yourself. Where I live its on Thursdays at 10 pm. Here's the link to the show's webpage: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/sunny/

I'll leave you with a quote from Charlie:
"If I'm in love with Jesus does that make me gay? Am I gay for God? Yes I am"